So I went over to her place and she drove this time. May 17th is Norwegian Constitution day, so people who gather put on their traditional garb and gather to celebrate. This year May 17th was also the day of our local wacky foot race in which people wear all kine nonsense and parade about. The route goes directly in front of the Club.
We had a fantastic time catching up on our ride. I got to hear about new windows in the cabin, and she got to hear the latest about mrguy. We took the back way, so to speak, and it was unspeakably lovely -- the kind of day that makes tourists decide to move here and regret it their first summer. It was so sunny that I barely recognized my city.
We left two hours early because of the ratfuckery of the foot race. And yet our trip was so smooth. Certain roads were still re-routed, so we saw parts of the city that we'd never seen before. We found a nearby parking space, and there we were an hour early. My friend mentioned that she'd done a Club work day when she gardened with other members. She wanted to take a picture of their garden work. She was turned toward me with her back to the crosswalk behind us so she could not see the entirely naked man heading our way. I turned to her and said "Wait for a sec...........NOW!!" She took the photo not exactly knowing what she was capturing.
It was this:
Across form the Club, people were out enjoying the park in their banana and Cheeto package outfits. There was an entire marching band playing. It was delightful. We took a park bench and gabbed for a while. I took some time to program my hat to say Syttende Mai, and then we headed back toward the Club. Managed to see the naked man again and capture a distant photo of him from the front for the amusement of mrguy, who stayed home.
The doors opened at 3. Snacks were in the bar. We had lovely conversations with various ladies and waited and waited for the dinner bell to ring. Dinner at the club is beyond random. In this case we had one of our better chefs. And the salad was beyond. Beyond!! The entree, however, was tragic. Salmon sat on a delicious sauce of stewed leeks and fennel, in a further puddle of ginger carrot nage. But -- no starch. We're Norwegian, for cryin' out loud! Then the salmon was entirely confusing. It was translucent. It was room temperature. It looked as if it had been taken out of the refrigerator and put in a sunny window to warm up. I ate the sauce from under the salmon.
Some people were wearing their traditional bunads. The adorable married couple next to me were wearing alternative bunads. They'd just graduated from college and were moving to Norway, which I think is a smart choice. They were trans. This is not a safe place to be gender non-conforming.
The program for the luncheon, which was now being served closer to 6pm (!) involved various toasts and songs. The first toast was in honor of the king of Norway. The second was in honor of the president of the United States, named. Our side of the table looked askance. The guy next to my friend told her "I'm a Republican, but I'm not *that* kind of Republican". I was shocked that this was the choice, not to toast the United States, which seems much more universally agreed-upon.
I texted a blow-by-blow to mrguy when things got slow.
It was a great day. I don't really know how to help my people make a better club. I would like to help, but I don't have the free time right now.
I have so many opinions. Basically I can't invite friends unless they understand that the food will often be super weird and nobody has mic technique when they give toasts or announcements.
"Gratulerer med dagen!"
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